CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I APRIL 15, 2024
SKY-HIGH TURNOUT
Triple-digit parking rates and closed streets don’t deter lakefront eclipse crowds By Kim Palmer
Heavy traffic, closed roads and parking rates that hit triple digits in at least one downtown Cleveland garage didn't deter throngs of viewers from gathering along the city's lakefront to take in a rare total solar eclipse on April 8. Early morning showers gave way to
unseasonably warm temperatures and high, thin clouds that failed to obscure the celestial event. Residents and visitors alike were welcomed by heavy traffic, street closures and sky-high parking rates downtown as the eclipse unfolded just hours ahead of the Cleveland Guardians home opener.
While low-priced spots were offered on various parking apps, some parking rates downtown were elevated to $70 and $80. the Ritz Carlton on 3rd Street downtown had parking advertised for a whopping $125. People traveled from Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Pennsylvania to witness the total solar eclipse at Cleve-
land’s Great Lakes Science Center Eclipse Fest. Dwayne Metz, drove from his home in Pennsylvania to spend the day in Cleveland at the Great Lakes Science Center's Eclipse Fest and to see the totality with his own eyes. See ECLIPSE on Page 17
Spectators watch the total solar eclipse at Voinovich Bicentennial Park in downtown Cleveland. | GRACE MCCONNELL
200 Public Square’s low sale price has big impact By Stan Bullard
Reactions to the extreme discount Great Neck, New Yorkbased Namdar Realty Group scored to snag 200 Public Square vary from excitement to dismay depending on the point of view of prospective office tenants or downtown Cleveland skyscraper owners and their operators. With the $54 million sale price
for the 1.2 million-square-foot tower — which is at least 23% vacant, according to Cuyahoga County records and online data provider CoStar — Namdar could use its lower cost basis to undercut other downtown owners who made investments before the pandemic roiled office fundamentals. See SALE on Page 17
AP
VOL. 45, NO. 15 l COPYRIGHT 2024 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Urban flooding is a rising threat. What can cities do to safeguard their futures? The Midwest is grappling with increasingly heavy rainfall and what to do with it all PAGE 8